


What Could Have Been

by kalcia, MamaBearCat, superpixie42, Thunderpot, wonderwanderer



Category: InuYasha - A Feudal Fairy Tale
Genre: Alternate Ending, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Alternate Universe - Everyone Lives/Nobody Dies, Alternate Universe - Pre-Canon, Domestic Bliss, F/M, InuParents Day 2021, Slice of Life, Tumblr Prompt, fandom event, ficlets: 350 words or less, fluff like you wouldnt believe, serial
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-01-16
Updated: 2021-01-19
Packaged: 2021-03-12 06:14:02
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 16
Words: 5,666
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28755702
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/kalcia/pseuds/kalcia, https://archiveofourown.org/users/MamaBearCat/pseuds/MamaBearCat, https://archiveofourown.org/users/superpixie42/pseuds/superpixie42, https://archiveofourown.org/users/Thunderpot/pseuds/Thunderpot, https://archiveofourown.org/users/wonderwanderer/pseuds/wonderwanderer
Summary: Sixteen moments we wish we could’ve seen in Touga and Izayoi’s life together. Each installment is 350 words or less. Moments include: Inuyasha’s birth, a lover’s quarrel, Inuyasha’s first moonless night, meeting Sesshomaru, and more!Includes art from wonderwanderer, kalcia, Thunderpot, and heavenin--hell (Tumblr).
Relationships: Inu no Taishou/Izayoi
Comments: 34
Kudos: 82
Collections: Inu Parents Day 2021





	1. A New Beginning

**A New Beginning**

**[Inuyasha's Birth]**

**Rated G**

**334 Words**

**Includes art by the incredible Thunderpot**

* * *

It began before dawn, as these things often do.

Touga was glued to Izayoi’s side all day; helping her walk, helping her breathe, bringing her water; helping in any way he could. But by dusk the human midwife had had enough of Touga’s dismissal of human custom and demanded he leave. A human midwife who would help birth a hanyou was incredibly rare, and Touga knew he could not risk her leaving. So he did the only thing he could do- he ran.

His shoulders barely cleared the front door before his form began to shift. His transition had always fascinated Izayoi- his grace and poise during such a dramatic event. But this was far from elegant. Each muscle and joint cracked and strained as they changed in time with the rapid pulse of his heart. His paws pounded the soft dirt as he ran from his anxiety, his anger and frustration at being unable to help his wife when she needed him most. He tore up the ground, he ripped up trees; anything to keep his ears from hearing his wife’s cries of pain.

Suddenly there was an eerie silence and his heart fell to his stomach. He waited an eternity before he heard it- the soft warble of a newborn. He raced back towards the castle, his aura crackling with uncontrolled demonic energy as he failed to force himself back into his human form. He lumbered down the oversized hallway, finally arriving back at their bedroom. He nudged the shoji open with his nose.

Inside, the midwife was cleaning up as Izayoi rested against a pillow, a long slender finger tracing a small drooping ear on top of their baby’s head. _Come meet your son_ she whispered, moving to sit up as she brought the newborn to her chest. Touga padded gently into the room, nodding his head to the exiting midwife. He curled himself protectively around his small family, his manic energy and anxiety ebbing away as his little wife relaxed into his fur, their son nursing noisily in her arms.


	2. A Changed Moment

**A Changed Moment**

**[A rewrite of the infamous 'playing ball flashback' with InuPapa to the rescue]**

**Based on a prompt from **soliska on Tumblr and art from Kalcia****

**Rated G**

**350 Words**

* * *

Hosting traveling dignitaries was Touga’s least favorite part of Lordship. Talking to soldiers was direct and straightforward; nobles seemed to only speak in vaguely polite riddles. But as he stood and watched the visiting courtiers ignore his son’s pleas to join in a game of ball there was no subtlety, there was no nuance. There was only bigotry and spite and he found himself wishing he could be as ruthless and direct in his rose garden as he was on the battlefield. How satisfying would it be to feel their bones snap between his jaws? How glorious would it be to have them beg for forgiveness at his feet before he crushed their skulls? Touga knew the reality he had brought his youngest son into. He knew the world would be unkind to him. But he had foolishly hoped that, at least within the walls of his own home, Inuyasha would be respected. 

Touga stormed from his bedroom, his aura flaring as he entered the garden. The nobles parted as he approached them, bowing in insincere reverence. Touga flexed his claws, ready to deal out swift punishment for their rudeness. He paused when he noticed Inuyasha tugging at one of the courtier’s robes. Inuyasha was still trying to get them to play. Inuyasha didn’t care that these ignorant people had made their distaste for him clear. He was just a playful child. He was innocent; but would he remain so after his father told him  _ why _ he slaughtered their guests? 

Touga could not bring himself to be responsible for him learning the full extent of people’s hatred-- not if he could shelter him just a little longer. With less effort than expected he riended in his youkai, calming himself as he took the few steps to reach his son. He crouched down to meet him face to face, Inuyasha’s unwavering smile soothing his enraged soul. “Wanna go to your mum, pup?” he asked. 

Inuyasha giggled and ran off towards the pond where his mother sat reading. Touga paused before following, snatching the ball from the ground and taking it with him. The courtiers would be dealt with -- after playtime.


	3. Little Rabbit

**LITTLE Rabbit**

**[A celebration of height difference.]**

**Based on a prompt from heavenin--hell; originally posted on Tumblr.**

**Rated T**

**290 Words**

* * *

Izayoi reached her arms across her lover’s muscular shoulders. She placed slow, open kisses across his collar bone, taking her time to appreciate the broad strokes of color that ran over his back and down to points just below the bone. She moved her mouth up to his neck and sucked on his pulse point. Stretching up on her toes so moved up to his jaw and to his

  
to his

  
she couldn’t reach anything else. 

  
She strained, trying to get on the edge of her toes, digging her nails into the flesh of his upper arm in a desperate attempt for leverage. The mood was slipping away as she failed to claim the lobe of his pointed ear with her teeth and instead slid down his chest in defeat.

  
“Are you going to help me out here, or not?”

  
She felt his laughter ruble in his chest. “Whatever do you mean, Little Rabbit?”

  
She huffed, trying not to let her own amusement show. “All that strength,” she squeezed his biceps through his slackened robe, “and yet here I am doing all the work.”

  
She squealed as her feet quickly left the floor, Touga’s hands sliding under her backside and supporting her weight as if she really were light as a rabbit. As Touga took swift, confident steps towards their bedchamber, Izayoi wasted no time taking advantage of her new position and buried her fingers into his silky strands. Angling his face to meet hers she kissed him; her eyes closing while her tongue danced with his. She didn’t need to look. She trusted him not to drop her, not to bump her; but most of all she trusted him to use his demon strength to their utmost advantage all night long. 


	4. Bite

**Bite**

**[A moment all parents have had, but made much worse by hanyou fangs]**

**Rated G**

**343 Words**

* * *

There were many benefits to having a demon husband. Chief among them was their limited need of sleep. Meaning Touga was more than happy to take Inuyasha when he woke before dawn and allow Izayoi an additional hour of sleep. Most mornings Izayoi was able to wake slowly to the giggles and shrieks of her husband and son playing in the garden just on the other side of the bedroom wall. 

This particular morning, though, it was Touga’s shriek that woke her. 

She had barely scrambled out of bed before the shoji door crashed open, a very unhappy Touga dangling a giggling Inuyasha upside down by his left leg. He deposited the child into the pile of blankets, “The beast is yours now.”

Izayoi looked between her thoroughly entertained son and the deeply irked husband. She tried, unsuccessfully, to hide her smile. She scooped Inuyasha onto her lap and combed her long fingers through his disheveled hair. She looked at Touga and asked, “And what, pray tell, did he do this morning?”

"Your son--”

“ _ My _ son?”

“Yes  **_your_ ** son,” he repeated, “bit me.”

Izayoi leveled her husband with a confused look. This wasn’t the first time Inuyasha had bitten one of them. In fact it was an hourly occurrence for the teething hanyou to bite anything and everything in sight.

Instead of responding to her obvious request for him to elaborate, Touga turned his back to her in a huff. He lifted the edge of his short sleeping yukata, showing her his left side. At first Izayoi wasn’t sure what she was supposed to look at. His toned thighs? The white wrapping of his fundoshi? Then she saw it. Right in the middle of his left buttock were five red marks: a perfect dental impression of their young son’s teeth. 

She shouldn’t have laughed. She knew it must have hurt terribly but as her husband stormed out of the room, her giggles followed him in an echo down the long hallway as he went to get himself a much needed cup of tea. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Roughhousing with Inuyasha really ... bit him in the ass
> 
> :D
> 
> I'll see myself out.


	5. In the Doghouse

**In the Doughouse**

**[A lover's quarrel that lands Touga _in the doghouse_. ~~No regrets.~~ ]**

**Originally posted on Tumblr as a prompt from heavenin--hell to write the scene that comes after her comic.**

**Comic included with permission.**

**Rated G**

**275 Words**

****

****

****

> _“…. how many did you meet for your theory to exist mhm?”_
> 
> _**“Huh? I was joking Izayoi”**   
>  _
> 
> _“That didn’t answer my question”  
> _
> 
> **“Just a few”**
> 
> _“A few huh?”  
> _
> 
> _**“NOT LIKE THAT”**   
>  _
> 
> _“It’s just like that”  
> _
> 
> _**“Come here”**   
>  _
> 
> _“No”_
> 
> _**“Izayoi”**   
>  _
> 
> _“You’re sleeping outside tonight”_

* * *

***scratch scratch scratch***

Izayoi rolled her eyes so hard she worried they might fall out of her head.

***scratch scratch scratch***

_ Just ignore it, _ she told herself, _ he’ll stop soon. _

***scratch scratch scratch***

She growled in a near perfect imitation of her husband and slammed her book shut. She stood up from her futon and stormed over to the door. Sure with his hearing she could have just shouted from the bed, but knowing he could hear her stomping and  _ then _ shouting would be much more satisfying. 

“For kami sake Touga are you a dog or a man!?” she shouted through the door.

“If you let me in I can show you--” came his singsong answer. 

_ Sonofabitch. _

She threw the door open so hard it shook in its frame, knocking her husband off balance. He landed on his butt with none of his usual grace.

“Really? Really!? That’s what you think it's a good idea to say right now?”

He smirked up at her from his place on the floor. “Got you to open the door, didn’t it?”

She glared and pointedly pulled the tie of her robe tighter around her waist. The slamming of the door and the click of the lock echoed down the hall. Touga, the Inu no Taisho, Lord of the West, Great Dog Demon General, sat alone in his underwear. He signed.

***scratch scratch scratch***


	6. Sundown

**Sundown**

**[Inuyasha’s first new moon night Part 1]**

**Rated T for heavy postpartum emotional turmoil**

**296 Words**

**Dedicated to[saraneth86](https://saraneth86.tumblr.com/) over on Tumblr and all the new moms who have had to learn how to manage newborns, covid, and quarantine.**

* * *

How could she have been so stupid? As Izayoi paced up and down the dark corridor rocking and bouncing and soothing Inuyasha she couldn’t believe she was so ignorant, so foolish. She thought she was prepared, but how could she not know something as monumental as this? How could she not know he would turn _human_? Did all hanyou turn human? Would it happen every night from now on? Was it her fault- because she fed him herself instead of finding him a demon wet nurse? 

As soon as the sun had set, Inuyasha had awoken with a shriek. The wailing only got worse as his hair bled black and his ears shifted around on his head. In the hours since then he wouldn’t sleep, wouldn’t eat, and nothing she did could console him. She’d sent Touga away to find Myoga and, hopefully, some answers. But now, as the night wore on and her son's screams became even more tired and raspy as they echoed off the walls, she wished she’d let her husband stay like he’d wanted to.

But this was her son, and her responsibility. If she couldn’t calm him when he was more like her than he had ever been, how could she call herself a good mother? What kind of mother passed off her child when they became upset? If she couldn’t do this basic thing of getting a tired child to sleep, what else would she fail at? 

She walked back to the bedroom and collapsed into a chair, more exhausted than she had felt after the birth. The midwife had told her that loving her son was the most important thing. But as they neared midnight and Inuyasha continued to sob, Izayoi was beyond terrified that loving him wasn’t enough.


	7. Midnight

**Midnight**

**[Inuyasha's first new moon Part 2]**

**Rated G**

**347 Words**

**Dedicated to all the new fathers who have had to learn how to manage newborns and quarantine.**

* * *

As Touga paced around his study he cursed his hearing. It was near midnight and Inuyasha’s cries hadn’t stopped in hours. But now, even over that horrible sound he could hear something even more heartbreaking: Izayoi’s sobbing in harmony with their son. What kind of a father was he that he failed to see that his wife was as fragile as their child? He had sworn that this time would be different, that he would be a better father to Inuyasha and a better husband to Izayoi. And yet, here it had only been a month and he had failed worse than he ever imagined. His son was _human_. His son was vulnerable and terrified, and while he didn’t smell injured, he was clearly in pain over the transformation. Izayoi had trusted him to find her answers, and he was failing her, too. 

As soon as the sun went down he’d sent Myoga and two of his most trusted vassals to hunt down information while he tore through his private library. When Izayoi told him she was expecting he’d made it his mission to procure every scroll he could that had anything to do with hanyou. Surely, someone somewhere had gone through this and written it down? But he had found nothing. He slumped down in his chair. He had a decision to make. Which would do more harm: allowing his wife to continue to struggle since she sent him away, or take the baby and let his wife get at least a moment of rest? The former left his wife alone and suffering while the latter implied he thought she was incapable. 

But that was foolishness, wasn’t it? She wasn’t incapable, she was entirely overwhelmed. This was his child as much as hers, as much his responsibility. If he didn’t help when his son needed him most what kind of father was he? They would find an answer, but in this moment what his family needed was comfort and rest. Everything else could come in the morning.


	8. Dawn

**Dawn**

**[Inuyasha's first new moon Part 3]**

**Rated G**

**256 Words**

**Includes art by wonderwanderer / @thornedraven on Tumblr**

* * *

It had been the longest night of both of their lives. They had tried everything from gentle rocking and singing to heavy swaddles to a disastrous attempt at a bath. Despite their best efforts Inuyasha slept fitfully, woke often, and ate very little. When the sun finally rose, the relief in all of them was immediate. 

As Inuyasha’s ears returned to the top of his fluffy white head, Izayoi felt her shoulders relax for the first time all night. 

As Touga felt his son’s aura grow and change with the return of his youkai, his own aura calmed, no longer seeking out what he felt had been missing.

Inuyasha, held securely against his father’s chest, sniffed the bare skin and was finally mollified, nuzzling his cold nose against his father’s stripe. 

Touga held Inuyasha for a few more moments, allowing the ringing in his ears to dissipate. Once he was sure Inuyasha was truly calm, he gently handed him to Izayoi to nurse. Belly full and powers restored, the infant Inuyasha finally fell into a peaceful sleep. As carefully as he could, Touga picked up Izayoi from her chair and carried her to the futon. Resting his back against the wall, Touga held Izayoi in his arms with his hand resting carefully on his son’s back, finding comfort in the rhythmic rise and fall of his breathing. He leaned down to place a kiss on Izayoi’s cheek, to offer her quiet words of praise for surviving a horrible night, but he found she was already asleep.


	9. An Understanding

**An Understanding**

**[In which Izayoi learns Touga is colorblind.]**

**Rated G**

**239 Words**

* * *

Izayoi stared down at the swaddled newborn in her arms. When Touga said he was getting their son a 'princely gift befitting the future Lord of the West' she had expected a sword or jewel or some other finery. She had certainly not expected a garish bright red swath of rough fabric. 

She raised her eyebrows at her husband, "What on earth is this?"

"This," he said, rubbing his broad callused hand across Inuyasha's belly, "is the fur of a firerat. Self cleaning, fireproof, stronger than any leather armor, and," he beamed with pride as if he were responsible for the firerat's incredible abilities, "and it will grow with him." 

In her time living amongst demons Izayoi had seen and heard some incredible things, but she would admit she was very impressed. Touga was right, it was a princely gift. However…

"But," she said delicately, "couldn't it be dyed a less intense color?"

"Why would you want that?" asked Touga. "This way he blends into the trees." 

Izayoi blinked at her husband, not finding the joke particularly funny. When he didn't laugh either, or even smirk, but continued to stare at her in complete sincerity she came to a slow realization. 

Touga was colorblind. 

Well, didn't  _ that _ explain a lot. She nodded silently to her husband and made a mental note to speak with his advisor for military strategy later. Perhaps she could make some recommendations for improved camouflage. 


	10. A Morning After

**A Morning After**

**[In which Touga struggled not to peep on Izayoi]**

**Based on a prompt from Nartista on Tumblr.**

**Rated M**

**371 Words**

* * *

Touga kept his eyes fixed firmly on the horizon line as Izayoi slipped into the onsen. They needed to get her home before her maid woke, and that woman was damn near an insomniac. With his eyes watching the time, his ears attuned to their surroundings to ensure privacy, his nose was free to focus on his lover. He frowned at the dissipating smell of their mixed fluids. To an Inu-youkai, scent marking was one of the most important parts of courting and mating. But, because of their unorthodox relationship, Touga and Izayoi spent as much time erasing scents instead as sharing them. While he had been able to keep his head and refrained from doing anything that could lead to Izayoi being put in an  _ indelicate _ position, together they had found several other positions-- enough to keep his instincts very pleased all night. And now, in the pale pre-dawn hour, Izayoi needed to deal with the mess before going back to her father’s house. 

As each waff from the hotspring became more diluted it took all his will power to keep his eyes straight ahead and not peek at the goddess behind him as she washed her thighs, her creamy belly, her pert… 

He groaned and pinched his eyes shut. “Izayoi you need to hurry please.” 

He heard her long suffering sigh, “If you want me to hurry then don’t get it in my hair next time.” 

Touga felt a smirk tug at the corner of his lip, “Better than your eye.”

There was a pause in the sloshing water and then he felt something wet collide with the back of his head. He reached behind him and picked up the soaked tabi socks Izayoi had thrown at him. He barked out a laugh as Izayoi went back to washing, mumbling under her breath about what she would do to him if  _ that _ ever happened again. 


	11. An Introduction

**An Introduction**

**[In which Izayoi meets Sesshomaru]**

**Rated T**

**315 Words**

**Based on a prompt from Kirrtash on Tumblr**

* * *

There had been no love lost between himself and Inukimi, but Touga had worked damned hard to maintain an active presence in Sesshomaru's life. He ensured his son continued his education, kept up his training, and when the time was right gave him his well earned position within their army. He regretted not having been a particularly affectionate father, but he had tried to instill some form of empathy in the young man by giving him positions that required regular interactions with their troops. 

To say Sesshomaru’s early postings had been an unmitigated disaster would be grossly understating things. 

But that has been nearly two centuries ago. In that time Sesshomaru had risen in the ranks to oversee several of Touga's territories and was well on his way to being ready to take over as Lord of the West when the time came. Surely,  _ surely _ , this meant he would be able to be civil when he met Izayoi? Sesshomaru might not agree with Touga's decision to take the human woman as a mate, he would respect his position as Lord and Father and take his rightful place as protector once the pup was born. 

"I have a treat for you," he said as he walked with Sesshomaru down one of the long halls leading from the guest wing to his private quarters. He opened the shoji door to a small dining room where Izayoi sat in a brilliant cream and blue kimono, an elaborate tea service set on the table in front of her. She stood and bowed low to both men, waiting for Touga to introduce her.

"Are we to eat her?" 

Izayoi blanched whiter than her kimono and Touga chuckled awkwardly. 

"No..."

"Then this one does not care."

As the sound of Sesshomaru's boots receded back down the hallway, Touga realized he seriously needed to reconsider the boy's inheritance.


	12. An Interruption

**An** **Interruption**

**[In which an amorous encounter is cut short]**

**Rated M**

**346 Words**

**Based on a prompt from lavendertwilight87 on Tumblr**

* * *

When the midwife first advised Izayoi against having sex for the first two months after giving birth she had laughed in the poor woman’s face. 

Sex? Ever again? No thank you. 

But as her body healed, the bleeding stopped, and her brain learned to cope with Inuyasha’s erratic sleep schedule, she found herself realizing it wasn’t such a comical notion afterall. Slowly,  _ very slowly _ , she found her way back into her husband’s arms, his lips caressing her own, and his hands becoming reacquainted with various body parts that had been decidedly off-limits for months. It was a surprise to no one when he announced that he was particularly pleased to be allowed to touch her breasts again, which were still heavy from nursing but not nearly as sore as they had been. 

It was early in the day at the start of Inuyasha’s third month when they finally found themselves in bed together again. The sun was warm through the bedroom window and Inuyasha was tucked away in his bassinet sound asleep. Touga slid his hands gently up and under her sleeping yukata. He traced each stretch mark as it ran from her hip to her navel, then followed the neighboring pale pink line back down to her pelvis. He kissed her thoroughly, swallowing her moans as his fingers caressed her core. She spread her legs wide, inviting him to continue his reintroduction when suddenly he stopped. Izayoi opened her eyes, biting her lip to keep from whining out loud. 

“He’s fussing,” Touga whispered, dropping his head to rest on her shoulder. 

“Just wait, he may go back to sleep,” she whispered, rolling her hips against his hand in a desperate attempt to keep the mood. 

But her efforts were for naught.

Inuyasha’s fussing turned to a sharp wail that they simply could not ignore. Touga sighed deeply and flopped onto his back, his snubbed erection leaving a sizable bulge in his hakama. Izayoi patted his chest in sympathy as she righted her robe and rolled out of bed to collect her grumpy son. 


	13. A Change of Heart

**A Change of Heart**

**[In which Touga tells a lie]**

**Rated T**

**311 Words**

**Includes art from mamabearcat**

* * *

It was nearly full dark when Touga finally walked into their usual meeting place. Izayoi knew immediately that something was terribly wrong. For him to walk to her with his head down and wearing only his hakama and suikan? It was unheard of-- and it terrified her. She pulled up her skirts and rushed to close the distance between them, holding her umbrella up above his head to shelter him from the falling snow. 

“Touga! Are you hurt? What happened?” she reached her free hand up to stroke his cheek, but he pulled himself away from her, crossing his arms to put a wall between them. 

“Touga, what--”

“I’m ending this.”

She felt as if she’d been slapped. 

“It is for the best, my lady.”

She felt a tear freeze to her cheek as it slid down her face. 

Touga’s eyes darted from hers and back to the ground. He couldn’t look at her, if he looked at her he wouldn't be able to lie to her and he needed this lie. He needed to end this, to keep her safe. He squeezed his eyes shut and clenched his fits, his claws nearly piercing the flesh. 

“I am sorry-”

“No.”

“No? You cannot say no to-”

“But I am,” she said, the waver in her voice only audible due to his inhuman hearing. “If this was truly your wish you would look me in the eye and say my name. I think this is more of your foolish protectiveness and I will not acknowledge it.” She angrily swiped at her cheeks, turning them even redder. “It’s cold, I’m going home. I will see you tomorrow.”

She turned quickly, throwing the accumulated snow off of her umbrella and into his face. He watched her storm off, never once looking back, so confident that he would be there again tomorrow. 

And he was.


	14. A Minor Set Back

**A Minor Set Back**

**[In which Izayoi has an idea]**

**Rated T**

**181 Words**

**Concept inspired by mamabearcat**

* * *

“My darling, I have had an idea!”

“Now?”

“Yes now.”

“Very well, what is it?”

“Have you considered going into battle naked?”

“...”

“I ask you in all sincerity husband!”

“Of course you do.”

“Think about it. You lose all this nonsense when you change shape anyway, which you tell me you always do once a battle really begins.”

“Technically yes, but-”

“And, let us be honest Touga, most of these skirmishes are really just to show off who the  _ bigger man _ is anyway. If you all arrive naked the cards are on the table from the start.”

“Izayoi!”

“Oh don’t sound so shocked, I hear how you talk in your war room.”

“This idea of yours wouldn’t have anything to do with the fact you tied a knot in the cords you were attempting to untie, would it?”

“I’m simply being practical.”

“By encouraging naked warfare?”

“By discouraging all this finicky nonsense.” 

“Should I undress before coming to bed if I wish to seduce you in the future?”

“Just the shoulder pieces… I like unwrapping the rest.”

“As you wish, _anata_.”


	15. A Revelation

**A Revelation**

**[In which hope is lost and found]**

**Rated M with CW: fertility issues**

**347 Words**

**Prompt from Nartista on Tumblr**

* * *

These things took time. She knew they did. But the longer the swaddling cloth she’d received as a wedding gift sat unused in a storage trunk, Izayoi couldn’t help but start to worry. Touga already had a son, so if there was something wrong she knew it must be with her. 

Touga had tried to comfort her, explaining that hanyou were a rarity not only because their parentage was taboo, but because demon and human bodies didn’t always blend well enough to make a pregnancy last. His body was imbued with powers hers wasn’t, and his shapeshifting could mean they were incompatible. 

Incompatible. 

She knew he meant it as a kindness, to tell her she wasn’t deficient or damaged… just human. As if being human wasn’t a deficiency in and of itself. 

By the start of their fifth year, she found peace with the idea that she and Touga may never have children. So when her monthly cycle was absent she took no notice, until Touga made a strange comment weeks later, at bedtime. 

“Have you used new soap, little rabbit?”

“No, should I?” 

“You smell heavenly,” he crooned, nuzzling his face into the crook of her neck. He began to kiss down her body, parting her robes as he visited the valley between her breasts, her navel, and finally down to her hips. But when he reached the apex of her thighs he stopped kissing and began to sniff deeply. Izayoi stiffened. 

“What on Earth are you doing down there?”

“When did you last bleed?”

“What? Why?”

“You smell like Inukimi did-” Izayoi sat up with a start, her head spinning as she tried to remember her last cycle. 

“I don’t think I did this month. But I didn’t,” her voice began to crack, “I didn’t think-”

Her ramble was cut short as Touga claimed her lips, his kiss a frantic expression of shock and joy. He continued to kiss her as her tears fell, finally having to break away so she could take a ragged breath in. 

“I think we need to find you a midwife.”


	16. A Proposal

**A Proposal**

**[In which Touga makes a decision]**

**Rated T**

**Since this is the last one I broke the rules and it is well over 350 words**

**HOW SHOCKING ALSO BASED ON HEAVENIN--HELL ART**

[ **Originally posted on Tumblr** ](https://heavenin--hell.tumblr.com/)

* * *

Izayoi sat across from her lover finding it difficult to look him in the eyes. After so many weeks of friendship and flirting, they’d slept together. Now, the realities of their situation came crashing down around her. They’d ruined the illusion. It was fairy food: a taste of what could be but knowing there couldn’t ever be more.

“You don’t have to pretend you don’t regret what happened yesterday,” she felt herself blush against her will, unable to think of their bodies joined together in passion without heat flooding her. “I can feel it-”

Touga silenced her, gently pulling her face up to meet his eyes. 

“The only regret I have is not doing it again when we had the chance,” he said with his trademark smirk spread across his lips. She couldn’t help but smile in return. He was always so carefree, she hated to break his heart.

“But we couldn’t and you know it. It was nearly dawn, we would have been seen.” She took a deep, steadying breath, “My engagement was announced this morning. We have to end this. It was nice–”

Touga had removed his hand from her face as if it burned him and swiftly stood. The quiet of the evening was split by the clang of his armour against the forest floor. 

“What … are you doing?” she asked, her eyebrows slowly climbing into her bangs as Touga began to fiddle with the ties of his robe. Frustration getting the better of him he simply sliced through them, laying the now torn robe on the ground in front of her. 

“Nice,” he practically roared, “ _ nice!?”  _ As he began to untie his hakama Izayoi blushed scarlet and threw up her hands, still unaccustomed to seeing a man in the nude. 

“Touga what are you doing!?” she hissed from behind her hands, her fingers spread just enough to allow her to peek while hiding most of her blushing face. 

“Nice isn’t enough for you to agree to marry me. I will show you more than  _ nice _ , little wife.”

“Little what?” Izayoi felt herself stop breathing, but her heart beating wildly in her chest clearly meant she was very much alive. It was finally enough to stop Touga’s rapid disrobing and refocus his attention on her. 

“I don’t want one night, Izayoi,” he kneeled in front of her and placed his large hands over hers, pulling them down so he could gaze at her face. Were the moment not so serious he would have teased her for her crimson skin and eyes the size of a sakazuki cup. But now was not the time.

“I want a lifetime, Izayoi. Marry me.”

Touga was more sincere than she had ever seen him. He held her hands in his as if they were the most precious flowers. He was looking at her like he wanted to memorize every pore of her face. She knew he meant it. She knew in that moment he wanted a life with her as much as she did with him. She felt tears stinging behind her eyes. She’d had this dream a hundred times but always woken up alone with a broken heart. She would not doom him to the same fate.

“You will only get my lifetime, not yours.” Her voice strained under the burden of reining in her emotions. “You’ll be alone once I’m gone, you can’t ask me to do that.”

Touga let out a small breath through his nose before leaning in and resting his forehead against hers, holding her close to him as he spoke gently. 

“I won’t be alone - I’ll have our children, and our grandchildren to keep me company through the centuries. Besides, there must be a way to bind you to me, I’ll never stop looking for one. Marry me.” His tone was calm and had an unwavering confidence. Now that he had her he would never let her go, he would find a way for them to be together - forever. 

Izayoi felt a single tear slide down her cheek. “Yes, yes I’ll marry you.” 

Their kiss was slow, soft, and filled with promises for the future. As the kiss deepend, she felt his smirk return to his face. Laying her down on his tattered robe he showed her just how _ nice  _ he would be every night for the rest of their lives.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> THANK YOU SO MUCH EVERYONE FOR JOINING ME ON THIS LITTLE ADVENTURE. I've never done this style of story before and I've never tried to stick to a word limit before so this was doubly new to me and I hope you enjoyed the results. Feedback is love (either here or over on Tumblr where I post WIPs, behind the scenes stuff, and more! @superpixie42 ).


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